MIPA is a volunteer-led organization, and we need your help! It doesn’t matter if you’re a brand-new student media adviser or if you’ve been doing it for years, we have opportunities for you. Here are a few of the ways you can get involved with MIPA:
PRESENT AT MIPA’S FALL CONFERENCE
MIPA’s Fall Conference includes nearly 80 breakout sessions on a variety of topics — from basic skills to advanced techniques. What are you good at? What topics do you love? Put together a 45-minute presentation that you can give to students or teachers at our conference. Not quite ready to be a speaker? Send us ideas or help recruit speakers on topics that you’d like to learn more about. Look for our annual call for session proposals at the start of the new school year.
JUDGING DAY
MIPA’s Individual Category Contests are judged by journalism educators, professionals and college students who gather for a day at Michigan State University. It’s a great opportunity to network and be inspired. Join the fun! Judging Day is usually in early March.
Never been a judge? New to journalism advising? No problem! We’ll teach you and we’ll pair you with an experienced judge. Judging Day is a great opportunity to see some of the amazing journalism that students across Michigan are producing for their newspapers, yearbooks, broadcast programs and news websites. You’ll leave inspired and with great ideas that you can put to use in your own classroom. Sign up!
JOIN A COMMITTEE
MIPA has a variety of committees to do the work of our organization, and we’re always in need of help. Whatever it is that you like to do, we probably have a committee doing that kind of work. Get in touch with any of our committee chairs, or contact the MIPA office to volunteer.
RUN FOR OFFICE
About half of the elected officer seats on MIPA’s board are filled each year by our members. Throw your hat in the ring! The election happens as part of our annual membership meeting, at lunch during the Spring Awards & On-Site Contests event. We look for candidates who have a diverse set of skills and experiences.
MIPA’s board meets about monthly on Saturday mornings during the school year at Michigan State University. Board members can occasionally join the meeting by video conference, but board members should be able to make most of the board’s meetings in person.
Contact MIPA Executive Director Jeremy Steele or a member of our Executive Board for more information about any of these opportunities.